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A look at this year's most exciting degree show invites and identities

Getting any form of post is exciting but when it contains the invites for this summer’s student shows we can’t help but feel giddy and weirdly proud. So it’s time for The List to give a run down of some of this year’s most playful and inspiring invites and identities for this year’s graduates. The colours blue, red and orange are big this year, but the overall theme to these identities seems to be about creating something new and fresh, which can only be commended and celebrated.

Nottingham Trent University, Graphic Design: About to Blow

Nottingham Trent University: About to Blow

Nottingham Trent University: About to Blow

Nottingham Trent University: About to Blow

Nottingham Trent University: About to Blow

Like any sane person we love a good pun, so already Nottingham Trent University’s Graphic Design show is onto a winner with their show About to Blow. What sets them apart from the rest is the fact their invite is a fun little beach ball that you have to physically blow up. It’s a summery, memorable and unique take on the degree show invite that we think is genius. Their website is equally as entertaining and gives us just a glimmer of the work that’s been created.

Going for a minimal look this year is Kingston University’s Graphic Design course. Using the suffix “-ing” as the basis for their show, Kingston are keen to show their passion for thinking and doing as opposed to just presenting. The monochrome look is striking and gives little away allowing for just enough intrigue to make you want to see what they’ve been up to. In the meantime, check out the show’s website to see all the “-ing” related posters the graduating students have produced.

Hand-delivering 300 of their invites, we received Northumbria University’s Graphic Design show invite with glee – not just because it gave their tired legs a bit of a rest but because it came in a see-through plastic envelope, which just doesn’t happen enough within our mailing culture. Out of the envelope came the most elaborately folded poster we’ve ever seen with one side detailing their journey and the other using image to explain what they can’t do. With a strong Twitter account and great website to accompany the invite, Northumbria are really making sure it’s a damn good show.

A simple but thoughtful invite from the Graphic Design students at Arts University Bournemouth. With laser-cut and opaque shapes coming together to form the whole word “engage,” the aubergine and light pebble grey work beautifully together to create one of the most sophisticated invites we’ve seen this year.

We love how orderly and neat the London College of Communication’s invite is for their summer shows, it felt like a receiving a 2D bundle of crisp maths books. With bright, gridded primary colours, it’s punchy, vibrant and on the right side of minimal. It’s fantastic to see the sheer volume of shows the LCC are putting on this year, an impressive feat in itself among the chaos that reigns when graduating.

It’s the little details on Kingston University’s Illustration show invite that really make it come to life. The rotary dial lettering on the front followed by the red silhouette of the finger-sized dividers you get in telephone books are delightful touches and if feels like a very personal identity. As well as a website, the Illustration students have also created a Tumblr to sit alongside it, showcasing snapshots of all the work that’s displayed in the final exhibition. So if you didn’t get the chance to go to the actual show, it’s a great chance to spot your favourite.

This is the only invite from the ones we received that boldly went for an uncomplicated single poster format. It feels like the University of Worcester Illustration course have taken it back to basics with this choice, combining hand drawn pictures with printing to create something magical. Both the image and the title of the show, Nomad, give a real indication of the kind of work you can expect from their show in terms of the exploration of materials and themes the students have tried to incorporate.

The University of Greenwich went for a simple but bold approach with their invite using the notion of students as “fresh meat” venturing into the world of design. It was a meaty line-up this year with the pupils of both Graphic & Digital Design and 3D Design & Animation exhibiting. We love the old school butcher’s invoice with the fantastic University of Greenwich stamp. The simple frontage is contrasted wonderfully with the alarming, fluorescent orange on the back of the invite that simply says “Medium rare?” rather cryptically.

Camberwell College of Arts, Illustration: In Place

Camberwell College of Arts, Illustration: In Place

Camberwell College of Arts, Illustration: In Place

Camberwell College of Arts, Illustration: In Place

Camberwell College of Arts, Illustration: In Place

A last minute entry came from Camberwell College of Arts’ Illustration show, and we’re so happy it arrived in time, for the whole bundle of paraphernalia we received was a joy to look through. As well as a poster and map with relevant info, the pack also came with a handful of A5 prints of the graduating students’ work. It’s a great idea and the pieces work both individually and when grouped together with the blue, green and gold hues blending beautifully.

We received our invite to the UCA Espom Graphic Design show via email with the promise of a catalogue soon to follow in the post and lucky for us the students in the Man Overboard show did not let us down.

They’ve created a beautiful, little book that uses both abstract and graphic images of water for the overall aesthetic with flecks of orange to signify the lifesaving devices that save us when we’re lost at sea. As well as some great examples of the work, we love the way the students have also included text about their course philosophy and images to demonstrate their working process and practices.

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Rebecca Fulleylove

Rebecca joined us as an editorial intern after studying at Norwich University College of the Arts. She originally wrote for the site between March and June 2012 and returned in the summer of 2014 for a four-week freelance stint.

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